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Freud Lesson Plan Final
Freud Lesson Plan Final
Nicole Giovagnoli
HPS 3003, Fall 2012
Dr. Robert Hatch
18 November 2012
Title: “Id, Ego, Superego”
Length: 50 minutes
Grade Level: High School
Lesson Objective: Students will be able to explain how the unconscious mind affects others’ lives
Vocabulary
Psychology, Psyche, Psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, Freudian Slips, Id, Ego, Superego
Engagement
Engage students at the very beginning of the lesson with the picture of cupid projected on the board:
Continue by asking students, “what is psychology?” Students should have prior knowledge, and answer
Psychology is the study of the mind. Explain that in Greek, the word psyche means mind or soul.
To the Greeks, the human mind was a lot like the girl in the story. They believed that it was the part of a
human that was most god-like. The mind is the most complex part of a human. But these days, people
do not agree about what exactly the mind is. Most scientists see it as being entirely physical (just our
brains at work), whereas most religious people see it as being something non-physical (a soul that lives
on after death). One thing for certain is that we cannot study how the mind works simply by examining
the physical parts of the brain. Therefore, psychology is often called a "soft" science. It relies heavily on
theories and complicated studies of human behavior rather than on direct observations.
Introduction
Ask students if they know who Sigmund Freud is. “Why is he so well known?”
Tell students that “today we are going to focus on just Sigmund Freud, and what three components
make up Freud’s structural model of the psyche.” Give students a brief account of Freud.
Freud is probably the most well-known name in the field of psychology. He was born to Jewish parents
in 1856 in the Czech Republic. He developed a type of psychology called psychoanalysis. He was also the
first therapist to have people lie down on a couch and talk about their problems.
Freud believed the mind has two parts: the conscious and the unconscious. Instruct students: think of a
donkey. Ask: “can you picture one?” “Is the donkey in your conscious or unconscious mind?” It should
be understood that it is in one’s conscious.
Now propose to students, “If the donkey is in your conscious mind, because you are thinking about it,
what is happening in your unconscious mind?” This may be difficult for students to put into words. Help
them by asking them about dreams. “What do you think dreams are?” “How do they play a role in
unconscious thought?” “Have you ever had a dream about something totally random and obscure and
were not sure where it came from?” Discussing dreams for a brief period of time should spark interest in
students.
Present the class with the iceberg diagram above without the labels and dividing lines. Ask students,
“What portion of the iceberg represents the conscious and the unconscious if the iceberg represents
your mind?” “In other words, what portion is easier to ‘see’ or understand?” (The instructor should
label the diagram as the following terms are discussed.)
Continue by explaining that Freud called the part of us that is our natural human instinctual drives "the
id" (Latin for "it"). Ask, “What are some natural desires that you deal with on a daily basis?” Students
should be able to decide that the desire to eat is included.
Freud called the part of ourselves that acts as a mediator between reality and the id "the ego" (Latin for
"I"). Our ego seeks to please the id’s drive in realistic ways that will benefit in the long term rather than
bring grief. Explain, babies are born with an id, but the ego takes several years to develop. Our ego
makes our id behave properly.
Ask, “Have you ever been hungry, without money, and in a shop and thought about stealing food? Did
you? What stopped you?” That is your ego! It knows that if it wants to satisfy the id, it must pay money
for food.
Ask, “Now, what if you did steal a bag of Cheetos? How would you feel? Would you be happy with
yourself?” The natural human reaction would to feel guilt. This is what Freud called the superego at
work. This maintains our sense of morals (ideas about right and wrong. The Superego can be thought of
as a type of conscience that punishes societal misbehavior with feelings of guilt.
Evaluation
Instruct students to take out their science journals and record a personal situation or event in which
their id, ego, or superego where at work. “What affect did they have on your behaviors?”
Sources
"Sigmund Freud Lesson Plan." Sigmund Freud Lesson Plan. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.beaconhillacademy.org/lessons/sigmund-freud-lesson-plan.html>.